Track: Elks capture 4 section golds and state berths led by Trapp, Morris

Elk senior Morris Dennis pulls away from the pack in the 400 including a Chisago Lakes runner. (Photo by Bruce Strand)

by Bruce Strand, Sports editor

Elk River boys track captured four championships at the Section 7AA meet on Saturday while placing fifth as a team, capping a two-day meet hosted by Zimmerman.

The day’s final event, an Elk victory in the 4×400 at nearly 9 p.m., was run during a hard rain and high winds. The final lap is captured to some degree on a cell phone camera, near the finish line, posted on You Tube. See youtube.com/watch?v=1fq-_9kjQ0w

Lucas Trapp will run at the state meet in the 800 and 1600 meters along with the 4×400 relay with Matt Olson, Nate Wallestad and Morris Dennis.

Dennis also won the 400 meters as the Elks at sectionals duplicated their four conference gold medals in those events.

The meet was delayed three times by rain and/or lightning — the first for four hours, the next two for about an hour. The final delay came just as the boys 4×400, the final event of the day, was about to begin.

After a half-hour wait, the first (slow) heat was run without incident but the storm resumed during the second (faster) heat. The video shows the intense rain and shows Dennis leading the pack to the finish line, mostly in silhouettes.

Trapp, a sophomore, won the 800 in 1:56.02 by more than three seconds over runner-up Collin Teigen of Big Lake (1:59.60). Trapp won the 1600 in 4:26.24, fending off longtime rival Christopher Meados of Andover (4:28.71).

Dennis, a senior, took charge in the last 200 meters of the 400 to win in 49.61, with Duluth Denfeld’s Connor Behm next at 50.42.

Will Hoff clears the bar on the way to 4th place in high jump.

The Elks 4×400 quartet also won comfortably in 3:26.87, by a margin of 3 1/2 seconds over Anoka.

All four winning times were slightly slower than at conference where the Elks face competition usually stronger than in the section.

Andover was team champion with 90.5, followed by St. Francis 68.5, North Branch 67, Forest Lake 58.5, Elk River 53.5, and Cambridge-Isanti 48.5 in a 16-team meet.

Dennis, between his two golds, hit the wall early in the 200 and placed eighth with 24.65, well off his prelim time of 22.84.

Also Saturday, Will Hoff tied for fourth in high jump (5-8) and Jacob Buhl placed eighth in the 100 (11.71). The 4×100 team of Zach Ernst, Wallestad, Buhl and Christopher Udalla was fifth (44.66). The 4×200 team of Ernst, Olson, Luke Dickinson and Mark Swann was sixth (1:35.49).

Dennis repeated as a state qualifier in the 400 and the 4×400. Trapp went in two relays last year. This marks his first time at state individually.